


You Can Call Me Anne

by MissRed17



Series: MissRed's Marvel Universe [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 01:18:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7737547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissRed17/pseuds/MissRed17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabelle Fisher was just a regular girl who wanted to make it big as a songwriter. What better way to accomplish that dream than to get accepted into Julliard and move to New York? Everything seems to be going right until HYDRA changes everything. But maybe her life isn't completely over yet, not when you have friends like the Avengers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

Main Character: Annabelle Grace Fisher  
Hair: Long, Semi-straight, red hair  
Eyes: Sea blue  
Body: Athletic build  
Traits: Charismatic, Good Sense of Humor, Kind, Virtuoso, Athletic  
Abilities: Musical genius, great martial artist, incredibly educated in psychology and anthropology  
Likes: Animals, Horseback riding, Swimming, Volleyball, Nature, Classic Rock, Pop, and Classical Music, Harry Potter, History, Ballet, Musical Theatre  
Dislikes: Selfishness, Cruelty, Live Octopus, Snakes, Chemical Smells, Needles, Hospitals, Stubbornness

Description: Anne was born and raised on a farm in Rosebush, Vermont. She was the youngest out of three children. The eldest, Connor, was very popular with the ladies ever since kindergarten. He had sandy-blond hair, grass-green eyes, and quite the daredevil. But Connor was very protective when it came to his family, especially with Annabelle. Ella was the middle child, though you wouldn’t have known since she was so mature and kind. She loved children and was frequently the person every parent would ask for to babysit their kids. Annabelle’s parents were very humble. They made sure their kids grew up knowing to always use good manners, be kind, work hard, and to forgive. But if someone was ever cruel to their children, they gave them permission to knock that persons lights out.

Prologue: Anne, for a lack of a better word, a musical genius. She mastered the piano and guitar at the age of 10. She had perfect pitch and could memorize a new song in minutes. This gift is what got her into BTWHSPVA. But the high school was in Dallas, Texas. Anne was originally going to deny the acceptance so she wouldn’t uproot her whole family from their lives. But since her brother just graduated college, he decided to move to the city with her. She was hesitant at first, but her family convinced her that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. Anne was very popular at her new high school. Not only was she the best pianist there, she was also very talented in songwriting, singing, musical theatre, and ballet. Her charisma and sense of humor made her one of the most popular girls in school. Her beauty most likely contributed to gaining this title, but it most definitely wasn’t the main reason. She knew almost everyone by name and made sure that everyone felt like they could be themselves around her. With her great achievements in the arts and her vast experience in community service, Anne found it pretty easy to get accepted into Julliard. Her first two years there were amazing and there was no doubt that she had a bright future ahead of her. Until something happened that would change her life forever.


	2. The Beginning of the End of Normal

"Leave unsaid unspoken  
Eyes wide shut unopened  
You and me  
Always between the lines"

 

Anne's voice softly rang through out the small café as she sang one of her original songs. People were either quietly talking amongst themselves while sipping coffee or staring at their laptops, typing unknown words. Not once did anyone look up at her as she poured her heart into the song. But she was used to this. Musicians were usually only looked at as background noise in places like this. Even though she wasn't expecting a burst of applause at the end of her performance, some recognition would have been nice.

This was Anne's usual gig during the summer in NYC. Her sophomore year at Julliard had ended last month. Instead of going back home to Rosebush like she did last year, she decided to stay in the city so she could try to build a name for herself. Progress was slow but she knew a songwriting career wasn't going to happen overnight. She was ready to work hard to make her dream come true.

Since she usually only performed with a piano and her voice on these small gigs, it didn't take Anne too long to pack up and leave after she finished her set. As soon as she stepped out onto the sidewalk, her senses became overwhelmed with the sounds and smells of the city. Gas spewing from the cars crowded on the streets, the noise pollution of millions of voices and footsteps from the people walking on the sidewalks. When she first came to the Big Apple, Anne was overcome with the excitement at the idea of living in a city with so many people. She was born and raised in a small farm town in Vermont for till she was 14 before she moved to Dallas with her brother to start her artistic education. But NYC was way bigger than Dallas, and a lot more interesting. Despite this, Anne couldn't help but feel homesick as she walked past a billboard that had a picture of rolling green pastures.

It was 5:30 p.m. and the pedestrians were starting to get snippy in their rush to get home before it got too dark. Anne decided to take a shortcut through an all to avoid getting pushed for the 45th time. She wasn't stupid. If anyone tried to jump her, she had pepper spray and a switch blade in her bag to protect herself. But unfortunately, this wasn't enough to fend off the 5 Hydra agents that punched, tackled, and gagged her. Before she could even think about fighting back, she was out cold.


	3. Sweet Dreams

There was a pounding in her head and she felt some bruises on her ribcage. The pain was horrible. She thought she heard some drowsy music playing in her mind for a second. But it went away once she opened her eyes.

It was dark. The only light she could see was artificial and light blue. The entire room seemed to be made of cement. Anne was so surprised and scared that she didn't even notice her hands tied to her chair until she tried getting up. She immediately fell back into the seat and a huge, metal-on-metal scrapping noise echoed and bounced off the walls.  
"Shit", she muttered. If her captures didn't already know she was awake, they sure did now. She sat and listened for a few seconds until she heard footsteps outside the door across the room. Since there were no windows, that was her only exit. She had no chance of escape.  
The door opened with a horrible screech and a man in a white lab coat walked in. He smirked as he closed the door, noticing Anne wincing at the noise. He stood in front of her and held up a clipboard. He pulled a pen out of his coat pocket and flipped a few pages until he looked down at her.  
"Your name is Annabelle Grace Fisher, correct?"  
His voice was surprisingly high but still intimidating. She stared at him blankly until his cough made her respond with an answer she had grown used to.  
"You can call me Anne."  
She gave an angry sigh. Why would she tell him that? Now he's already gotten on a personal level with her after just the first question.  
The man chuckled at her visible internal conflict and wrote something down on his clipboard.  
"Your blood type is O, correct?"  
"Why should I tell you?"  
Said Anne in her best menacing voice. She was determined to not make anymore foolish mistakes with this guy.  
"It doesn't matter what you say. We can find out for sure on our own."  
The lab coat man said nonchalantly as he put his pen back in his pocket.  
"I don't know why they wanted me to ask you these questions anyway. Probably so I can get a hint at what your personality is like before we get started. But I think I have everything I need to know for now."  
He stuffed the clipboard somewhere in his lab coat and pulled out a two-way radio.  
"Bring in the cart."  
He said firmly into the receiver without breaking eye contact with Anne. Her stomach started twisting out of fear but she didn't look away from the man's piercing grey eyes.

The door slammed open as two other men in lab coats wheeled in a metal cart. On it, Anne say a range of different sized syringes organized neatly from smallest to biggest. There was a also a row of small bottles contained multiple solutions. Lastly, Anne saw utensils that seemed like they were used to force her into compliance.  
She gulped at the sight.  
"What the hell are they going to do to me?"  
"Before we get started," said the lab coat man, "my name is Dr. Beaumont. And let me warn you," he leaned down until his face was directly in front of Anne's,  
"After I'm done with you, the only thing you will be able to remember is me."  
He walked over to the cart and pulled on some gloves. He nodded to the other two men and they walked over to her chair. One roughly grabbed her head and pulled it back. The other gagged her with a dry rag. Dr. Beaumont chose a syringe and inserted the liquid from one of the bottles. He tested the needle, smirked, and sauntered over to Anne who was looking wide-eyed at him.  
The doctor chuckled.  
"This is what sweet dreams are made of."  
Before she could blink, he plunged the needle into her neck.  
Then everything went black again.


	4. Warm To Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to think that the song "Sweet Dreams" from Sucker Punch is playing as a sort of background music to this chapter, hence that sloppy name drop at the end of the last chapter.

The nightmares that she suffered due to that solution in the syringe were anything but sweet. For weeks Anne was forced to live her worst fear over and over again: Her family dying slowly and painfully right in front of her eyes. She tried to convince herself it wasn't real but she couldn't help but scream and plead at the sight of her parents' mangled bodies and her siblings' desperate cries. After about a month, Dr. Beaumont added in the physical treatment. One day, as she woke up from a particularly torturous episode, Anne noticed she was laying down and strapped to a surgery table. "Oh no. They're getting creative." She chuckled to herself. Humor was about the only thing that was keeping her from completely checking out. Despite this, she could feel herself start to tear up at the thought of them doing something worse than what she has already been through. Anne laid on the cold steel for what felt like ages until the door opened. Dr. Beaumont swaggered into the room with the same confidence he usually had when he felt his patients' fear at the sight of him. Since Anne was almost completely conscious, she made a promise to her self to not show any weakness, if not for her own sake but for her dignity.

"It is time for the next stage of your preparation.", the doctor said with delight."Preparation for what?" He ignored her attempt at bravery and walked over to the table next to Anne. He picked up a sharp utensil and held it up to shine in the overhead light. Anne looked at it nervously. _What is he planning?"_

"It is best that you not struggle, it will only make the pain worse." He looked down at her and smirked. "Actually, a little struggle will make this even better." Dr. Beaumont let out a menacing laugh and began to administer pain that Anne never thought was possible.

For another month, Anne's screams of pain could be heard almost around the clock. Between the physical and mental torture, Anne began to lose herself. The first thing that went away was her emotions. This was evident when Anne started to see nothing when she was injected with the solution. Then, after about 6 weeks of it, instead of screaming, Anne barely winced at the blade digging into her body. This was when Dr. Beaumont knew she was ready.   
First, they started giving her weekly injections of serum that enhanced her mental and physical capabilities, similar to the super-soldier serum. Then, they trained her. She mastered multiple fighting techniques and the art of espionage. She was also taught to speak multiple languages such as German, French, Russian, Spanish, and Italian. Lastly, Anne was heavily educated in Psychology and Anthropology, the final touches to ensure her complete success in the purpose that Hydra wanted her for.   
Annabelle Fisher became the infamous Red Angel, Hydra's secret weapon in carrying out all of their high-priority missions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't until recently that I discovered how close this was to the Winter Soldier's background but I had already grown into this origin story for Anne so I'm gonna stick to it. Sorry if you're annoyed or don't like it.


	5. The Angel Meets The Hawk

The Red Angel made a name for herself. Not as a songwriter as she had once dreamed of, but as the best assassin and spy in the world. She had killed and interrogated countless ministers, presidents, emperors, kings, senators, and drug lords for Hydra. Even though it was filled with knowledge and potential, her mind belonged to them. Endless torture had forced her into obedience. Now, two years later, the Red Angel was on a special mission in Perugia, Italy. 

It was 10:30 at night and raining. She was wearing a black trench coat and pants. Her hair was tied up so as to keep her red hair from standing out in the darkness. She walked down the small road until she came across an abandoned building. It seemed to have been out of use for a long time. It looked plain and bare so not even adventurous teenagers would bother to peek inside. She walked into the dark alley next to the warehouse and stopped at a door. She looked around to make sure she wasn't being followed and quietly turned the handle, not surprised when it opened with no resistance. She checked left, right, and even up at the fire escapes and rooftops before entering.

She was in a drab hallway that looked as empty and unused as the exterior. She pulled a out a gun and held it up as she walked slowly and quietly forward. If she was correct, a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent was taking refuge somewhere in this warehouse. She also had reasons to believe that he had information on Roberto Pannunzi, an Italian drug lord that was at the top of Hydra's list. The hallway had no doors except for any opening at the end. She had a guess that her target probably made camp on the top floor so as to be able to look out for anyone who came looking for him, someone like her. The hallway ended opening up into a huge room with large windows and a metal staircase that went up to a railing. She could see what looked like a duffelbag and a blanket. 

She had a very uneasy feeling. She felt too vulnerable walking across the open room to the staircase, but she was strong and knew she could handle herself. She started slowly moving towards the stairs until an arrow zipped past her ear. She quickly turned and pointed her gun at the area of origin. There on the railing was a man with short brown hair and a black armored vest, pants, and boots. Most noticeably, he was holding up a bow and arrow pointed right her.

"So you're the Red Angel?"   
He had a sarcastic tone and smirk on his face.  
"A little underwhelmed, I must say."  
She pulled a pin out of her hair and shook it out while still pointing the gun with her other hand.  
"You might want to speak more kindly to those who want to kill you."  
The man's laugh echoed through the open warehouse.   
"Now that's more like it."  
She tensed up when the man started moving towards the stairs.  
"I assume you're Hawkeye."  
"Guilty as charged. But if you want to get personal, my name's Clint."  
Now this was her time to smirk.  
"You can call me Anne."

Suddenly, pictures of faces and places flashed across her mind. She let her guard down for two seconds and felt something push her side, knocking her to the ground. A sharp pain shot up and down her body. She looked down and saw an arrow sticking two inches into her body, missing internal organs and any important blood vessels. 

She looked up and saw Clint standing over her.  
"I'm disappointed. This was too easy."  
"No need to worry."  
She grabbed her gun and quickly shot him in the leg.  
Clint yelled out and fell to his knees.  
She got up and punched him square in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. She quickly pulled the arrow out of her side, letting out a yell to relieve the pain. She then took off her trench coat and revealed her black jumpsuit.

Clint got up in time to see her tuck her gun into a holster and pull out a Gerber Mark II, the deadliest combat knife in the world.  
"Ha. Looks like your Hydra's spoiled child,"  
He said as he wiped blood of his mouth with the back of his hand.  
"I know you're trying to delay our fight. How's that leg?", she smirked.

Clint's face suddenly became serious.  
"You're one of the best assassins in the world. Why is it you let your guard down when you said the name...Anne?"  
Again, faces and places flashed across her mind, this time more clearly. She saw Dr. Beaumont. Her stomach twisted at the sight of him, which was strange, since she didn't remember feeling fear towards him.  
Then she saw a place with an overabundance of ads and signs, cars and taxis crowding the streets, people on the sidewalks pushing aggressively against each other. New York City.  
Another place appeared, green grass, tall trees and a small pond. At the sight of this she felt a feeling of warmth, a curious feeling that she didn't understand.  
Then she saw a face. A woman, with sandy blond hair and green eyes filled with kindness. She was looking at her, Anne.

 

Anne

 

Next thing she knew, everything went black,  
for the first time in a long time.


	6. Memories

"That was beautiful, honey!"  
The blond woman was clapping as Anne got up from the piano and gave a bow. The woman was sitting on a couch in a cozy living room with a man, and a teenage boy and girl. They were all smiling and complimenting her playing.  
"Way to go, Annie!",  
exclaimed the teen boy.  
"You're going to get into that school for sure!"  
13-year-old Anne was grinning from ear to ear and overwhelmed with happiness.

Then she woke up.  
Her body and hair were soaked with her own sweat. Her muscles felt sore and stiff. She looked down to see she was wearing a hospital gown. Her hands and legs were strapped down. Her eyes immediately started scanning the white room, looking for windows, doors, unusual lines in the walls, anything she could escape through. But she found that she was unable to concentrate. Her head was pounding and her stomach was doing flips.  
_What's happening to me?_

Then, a man entered the room. He was middle-aged and a little gangly. She estimated that she could easily overpower him if she got out of these restraints.  
"Hello, I'm Agent Coulson."  
The man pulled a chair over to the side of her bed and sat down.  
"How are you feeling?"  
She just stared at him. During her training, she learned that the best thing to do under interrogation was to not say anything at all.  
The man smiled sympathetically.  
"You can relax. You're not being interrogated."  
Her brow furrowed. It's like he was reading her mind.  
"You're lucky to be alive. S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent Agent Barton to kill you. He said you had passed out."  
She turned her head away from Coulson and glared at the ceiling.  
_How could I have done something so stupid? This never happens. I have never failed at completing my mission. I especially haven't fainted in front of a target like a dumbass!_

"Don't punish yourself. Anyone who's confronted by a past they've been brainwashed to forget wouldn't be able to successfully assassinate a master spy."  
Snapping back to reality, her head swiveled to face the man.  
_Brainwashed?_  
"Brainwashed?",  
she blurted out.  
Coulson was slightly surprised at her sudden outburst but was happy to see that she had potential to be fixed.  
"Yes.",  
he said softly.  
"You have to remember who you are,  
**Annabelle**."

She inhaled sharply at the name.  
Coulson pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket.  
It was a picture of a family.  
The blond woman was there, so was the teen boy from her dream.  
There was three other people in the picture. A man who looked to be the woman's husband, a teen girl, and a redhead, the youngest out of all of them. They were all smiling happily, standing in a field with a beautiful farmhouse in the background.  
"That's your family, Annabelle,"  
said the man,  
"That's your home."

She stared at the picture for what felt like an eternity, memorizing every detail. She could feel a tear running down her cheek. She turned away from the picture and looked at the wall on the other side of her bed. She couldn't let him see how much it affected her.  
"I'm not your enemy."  
His voice was quiet and calm.  
He finally got up and laid the picture down on the nightstand next to her bed.  
"I'll leave you alone to dwell on this."  
Once he left, she let out the breathe she had been holding in. She turned her head to stare at the picture again.  
She couldn't stop the sob that came out of her mouth.  
Like a lake that had been plugged up by a dam for years, she felt a sense of relief as she let herself succumb to the emotions that she had buried away years ago.

 


	7. Home

For the first time in a long time, Anne was completely and utterly happy.

After Clint turned her into S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of killing her, Coulson made sure that she was taken care of and received medical attention so she could remember who she was. During this time, Anne became close with both Clint and Coulson. She was even able to trust Fury, who started visiting her weekly. When the doctors and therapists helped her regain her memories, she was able to see her family again. She was buckled into the seat of one of SHIELD's helicarriers, on her way to Rosebush. She felt excited and nervous.

_What if they don't like me? What if they don't recognize me? What if I'm too different now? Do they hate me for who I became?_  
"Stop doubting yourself."  
The voice snapped her out of her thoughts.  
"They loved you then and they love you now. That's never going to change."  
Phil Coulson was sitting across from her. He came along with her for support and to help explain to her family what happened.  
He gave an encouraging smile and she returned it.

Anne looked out the window and gasped.  
They were over her town and it was just as beautiful as she remembered. There were rolling green hills, lush forests of tall trees, ponds whose water reflected the cloudless blue of the sky, and scattered farmhouses that looked like they should be on the cover of 'Country Living'.

The carrier started to descend. That's when she finally saw it,  
**home.**  
The cream-colored farmhouse with a stunning view of green meadows and it's own pond.  
Anne felt her body fill up with pure joy.

Right when they landed the door burst open and the blond woman from her dream and the picture came running out.  
"Mom!"  
As soon as the engines turned off, Anne jumped out and ran towards her.  
They collided and wrapped their arms around each other, crying and bursting with "I love you"'s.  
She felt like she could stay in her mother's arms forever.  
Her mom pulled back so she could look at her face.  
"Oh, honey,"  
she said, shocking back tears.  
"You have no idea how much we've missed you."

"ANNIE!"  
Behind her mom, Anne's brother was running over to them.  
"Connor!"  
He ran straight into them, almost knocking them all to the ground.  
They laughed and all hugged.  
"Where's Dad and Ella?"  
Anne managed to ask.  
"They're at the market."  
Mom laughed.  
"We thought you were coming tomorrow."  
Anne giggled nervously.  
"Sorry we're early. I just...couldn't wait."  
They all laughed and group hugged again.

After Anne's Dad and sister arrived, Coulson proceeded to tell them what happened. He also explained about SHIELD and Anne's plan for the future.  
"You're going to become an agent?!",  
Ella exclaimed.   
"That's so cool!"  
"But I heard it's a very dangerous job."  
Anne's Dad sounded concerned.  
"Are you sure you want to do this?"  
Anne had questioned this decision herself too.  
Was it really a good idea to go back into the field after what she just went through? But Anne knew this life was apart of her now. At least now she was on the right side this time.

"I'm sure."


	8. A New Life

**5 Years Later**

Anne was on one of her standard missions. This time, she was tied to a chair on the third floor of an abandoned warehouse while wearing a simple black dress and stockings. Her black heels had been taken off and set on a table.   
She was being interrogated by George Luchkov, a fat Russian General, along with his two goons.  
One of them walks over and punches her square across the face. Anne's hair falls into her face but flips it out of her eyes and looks directly at the General.

Anne was on one of her standard missions. This time, she was tied to a chair on the third floor of an abandoned warehouse while wearing a simple black dress and stockings. Her black heels had been taken off and set on a table.   
She was being interrogated by George Luchkov, a fat Russian General, along with his two goons.  
One of them walks over and punches her square across the face. Anne's hair falls into her face but flips it out of her eyes and looks directly at the General.

He smirks and starts speaking in Russian.   
"This is not how I wanted this evening to go."  
"I know how you wanted this evening to go,"  
Anne retorts in Russian,  
"Believe me, this is better."  
Still smirking, the general gets right to the point,  
"Who are you working for?"  
He continues speaking as the goon walks back over,  
"Lermentov, yes?"  
The man grabs her chair and tilts it menacing over the stories deep hole that is directly behind Anne.  
"Does he think we have to go through him,"  
the General threateningly states as Anne desperately tries to touch the floor again with her feet,  
"To move our cargo?"  
Anne puts a scared look on her face.  
"I thought General Solohob was in charge of the export  
business."  
Anne states with a shaky voice as the man slowly lowers her chair back down to the ground.  
"Solohob?", the General chuckles as he paces,  
"A bagman, a front."  
He stops in front of Anne.  
"Your outdated information betrays you."  
He walks confidently towards her.  
"The famous Red Angel,"  
the General says harshly,  
"And she turns out to be simply another pretty face."  
Anne cocks her eyebrow.  
"You really think I'm pretty?"  
The man pauses for a few seconds and then walks over to a table with various tools on it.  


"Tell Lermentov we don't need him to move the tanks."  
The General changes the subject as his goon moves over to Anne and squeezes her cheeks, forcing her mouth open.  
"Tell him he is out. Well..."  
The Russian picks up a pair of pliers and states in English,  
"You may have to write it down."  
Anne grunts and starts breathing rapidly as she begins to understand what the General is implying.

Suddenly, one of the goons' phone rings. He is surprised for a minute then sheepishly turns around as he answers it.  
He is quiet then turns to the General.  
"It's for her."  
The Russian slams down the pliers and grabs the phone.  
"You listen carefully-"  
The General states forcefully and is cut off by Phil Coulson's voice.  
"You're at 113 Salinsky Plaza, 3rd floor. We have an F-22 exactly 8 miles out. Put the woman on the phone or we'll blow up the block before you make the lobby."  
The Russian stands there in shock at the sudden change of power then slowly walks over to Anne with and puts the phone on her shoulder so she could hold it up to her ear.  
"We need you to come in."  
Coulson's voice slightly relieves her but she feels frustrated.  
"Are you kidding? I'm working."  
"This takes precedence."  
"I'm in the middle of an interrogation and this moron is giving me everything," she states in a bored tone.  
The General looks surprised and embarrassed.  
"I don't... give everything."  
Anne gave him a look that read, _you sure about that?_  
"Listen, you can't pull me out of this one."  
"Annabelle,"  
His serious tone and use of her full name caught her attention.  
"Barton's been compromised."  
Now she realized why Phil was pulling out all the dramatic stops. She then made a quick decision.

"Let me put you on hold."

She nodded at the General to take the phone.  
As he bent down to grab it, she kicked his thigh, sending him to his knees and head-butted him to make fall all the way to the ground.  
She stood up while still tied by her arms to the chair and fought both of the goons. As she did this, Coulson could hear the grunts of her captures through the receiver and calmly waits for her to finish.  
She is eventually able to send her self flying back first onto one of the goons, breaking her chair into pieces.  
She fought them until they were both unconscious in under 30 seconds. She then tied a chain hanging from the ceiling around the General's leg and sends him hanging over the hole by it.

She calmly picks up the phone and her heels and starts walking away as she continues her conversation with Phil.  
"Where's Barton now?"  
"We don't know."  
"But he's alive?"  
"We think so. I'll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to talk to the big guy."  
Anne scoffs at this.  
"Let me talk to Stark instead. We get along really well so he will most likely get on board of I'm the one who asks."  
"I thought he drove you crazy?"  
Her laugh bounces off the hollow walls of the building.  
"Are you kidding? How could two mental cases who use humor as a defense mechanism not get along?"  
"Ok, if you're sure. But I should warn you, ever since he and Pepper got together they've been a lot more touchy."  
Anne cringed at the mere thought of Tony being touchy with anyone.  
Anne looks around the room and sighs.

"Bozhe moi."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anne got out of her car and walked up to the front doors of the Stark Tower.   
"Call Tony Stark."  
Her command is heard by her earpiece and it instantly responds,  
"Calling Tony Stark."  
After just one ring, her call is answered by J.A.R.V.I.S.  
"Hello, who is speaking?"  
The polite, British voice never failed to put a smile on her face.  
"This is Agent Fisher of S.H.I.E.L.D."  
Anne responds as she walks into the fancy building,  
"May I speak to Tony Stark?"  
"One moment please."  
Anne spots the elevator and goes to press the up button but a passcode is required.  
_Since when did he install passcodes?_  
J.A.R.V.I.S. returns to their conversation.  
"I am afraid Mr. Stark does not wish to speak with you at the moment."  
Anne, getting frustrated, replies,  
"Tell him that if he doesn't pick up the phone and talk to me, I'll kick his little ass all the way to China."  
"One moment please."  
Anne sighs and looks around. The lobby is empty expect for the guard that's asleep at the front desk.  
"Mr. Stark does not wish to speak with you,"  
J.A.R.V.I.S. says suddenly,  
"I'm afraid I'll have to terminate your call. Goodbye."  
"What? Wait-!"  
But her earpiece was already emitting the droning tone that meant the phone had been hung up.  


"Fuck this."  
She muttered.  
Anne pulls out her phone and opens the specially made decoder app. She scans the panel next to the elevator and it immediately shows the passcode.  
She smiles and enters the number. The elevator door opens and she steps inside, then pressing the top button.  
The elevator moves up surprisingly fast and almost knocks her down. She regains her composure and within seconds the door opens.

Anne sees Tony and Pepper drinking wine on the floor.  
Tony looks over and spots her in the elevator.  
"Security breach!"  
"Tony."  
She responds with a smirk on her face.  
Pepper gets up with a smile,  
"Annabelle, Come in!"  
_I knew I always liked her._  
Anne walks into the condo but responds,  
"I can't stay,"   
Tony hesitantly gets up as well.

Pepper walks over to Anne,   
"Come in, we're celebrating."   
"Which is why she can't stay."  
Tony states through a fake smile.   
"We need you to look this over as soon as possible."   
Anne hands him a tablet with the documents she was referring to downloaded on it.   
"Uh, I don't like to be handed things."   
Anne rolls her eyes.   
"That's fine because I love to be handed things, so let's trade."  
Pepper takes the tablet and hands Anne her wine glass, then takes Tony's glass and gives him the tablet. Anne smiles at his annoyed face.  
"Official consulting hours are between 8 and 5 every other Thursday."   
Tony states in a mock professional tone.   
"This isn't a consultation."   
Anne points out matter-of-factly.  
"Is this about the Avengers?"   
Pepper asks. Anne cocks her eyebrow.  
"Which I know nothing about,"   
Tony opens the tablet's case and walks over to his desk.  
"The Avengers Initiative was scraped. And I thought I didn't even qualify?"  
"I didn't know that either,"   
"Yeah. Apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others,"  
"That I did know."   
Anne chuckles at Tony and Pepper's exchange but turns serious again.   
"This isn't about personality profiles anymore."   
"Miss Potts,"  
Tony crooks his finger at Pepper,  
"Got a sec?"   


Pepper holds up her finger and mouths one minute at Anne and walks over to Tony. They converse with each other silently out of her earshot until Tony swipes the tablet's screen and it's contents appear in hologram form. A roar erupts from the floating information with profiles on The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Thor, Iron Man, Loki, and herself. Tony and Pepper gaze at the vast quantity of extraordinary people and objects. They converse again until Pepper leans over and whispers something in Tony's ear as his mouth drops open. Anne looks away and sighs begrudgingly.   
_Phil was right. They have become super touchy._

They kiss and Pepper walks back over to Anne.   
"Any chance you're driving by La Guardia?"   
Anne smiles.   
"I can drop you off."   
They get back onto the elevator together and talk happily until Anne drops her off at the airport. She sighs and drives away.  
_I'm gonna miss girl talks like that. Now time to get back to the men._   
She calls Phil to confirm Tony's acceptance of joining the Avengers.   
"Good job, Anne."   
He responds, then becomes silent for almost 10 seconds.  
"Something wrong?"  
She asks nervously.   
"Well..."   
He seemed hesitant to say what was on his mind.   
"You can tell me, Phil."  
She heard him suck in a breath.  
"I'm flying with Steve Rogers to the helicarrier we'll all be staying on and I was just wondering...

when would be the best time to ask him to sign my Captain America cards?"


	9. The Helicarrier

Anne was reading up lore on Loki when she was told Phil and Steve Rogers were about to land. Upon hearing this, she arrived at the landing strip within 3 minutes. You could say she was a bit eager to meet the new arrival. As she waited, she recalled the project she had made on Captain America in her sophomore of high school. She only had to hold herself back a little bit to keep from appearing too excited.

The plane arrived at 4:15 p.m. Men were running along the strip, stabilizing engines and tying down other air vehicles. Anne instantly recognized the Captain when he stepped out of the hull along with Phil. She walked over to them to introduce herself, but Phil beat her to it. "Agent Fisher, Captain Rogers." "Ma'am". So polite, she thought as she smiled and held out her hand. He shook it firmly. "Hi, Captain. Phil, they need you on the bridge for the base trace." She could see a slight look of relief on his face as he nodded and said, "See you there.' and walked away. I wonder what he did that was so bad. Anne decided to make small talk with the Captain as they started walking towards the entrance of the helicarrier.

"So it was quite a buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was going to swoon." She smiled, remembering their last conversation. "Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" "Trading cards?" Rogers looked surprised at the question. Guess not. "They're vintage. He's very proud." She offered him a friendly smile, hoping to loosen him up. He looked down at her and smiled back. So cute.

They both looked up and noticed a very confused looking man shuffling around, seeming flustered by all the people running around. 'Dr. Banner." The Captain walked over to the man and shook his hand. "Oh, Hi." So that's the big guy. "They told me you were coming." "Word is you can find the cube."  "Is that the only word on me?" Banner looked around nervously, knowing he probably wasn't as welcome by everyone on the boat. "It's the only word I care about." Anne smiled at the Captain's kindness. She knew they said he was polite but she was happy to see that wasn't just another lie in the history books. The two continued to converse as she got word through her earpiece that the helicarrier was about to take off. "Gentlemen, I advise that we step inside. It's going to get a little hard to breathe."

The two men looked around to see all the personnel latching down the aircraft on the launch pad. Then, the sound of huge engine turning on boomed from the sides of the helicopter. "Is this a submarine?" Steve asked. "Really?" Bruce said sarcastically, "They want me in a submerged, pressurized container?" Anne smiled to herself as the two men walked over to the side of the helicarrier to see huge turbines surfacing from under the water. Realization dawned on the men's faces as they figured exactly what kind of machinery they were standing on. "Oh no this is much worse." Bruce yelled out as the sounds of the engines and turbines started to get deafeningly loud.

Anne noticed that the personnel were putting on their oxygen masks so she yelled out, "I know it may have seemed like I was kidding but  we really do need to get inside before we start suffocating!"  

Anne lead the Bruce and Steve inside and two them inside and into the main control room. Fury was standing front and center when she went up to him and stated, "They're here." She looked back to see their faces as they looked around at all the agents, computers, and the big windows that displayed a beautiful view. Agent Hill was announcing statistics and conditions to the agents around her. She finally turned around and stated to Fury, "We're at level, sir." "Good" he responded, "Let's vanish" Anne knew that right then that the helicarrier was using it's reflecting panels to turn invisible. "And so it starts." she thought.

Fury turned around the address the two men, "Gentlemen" Steve walked up to him, counted money in his hand and handed it to Fury who smiled at it victoriously. Anne rolled eyes, "Fury and his bets." Steve walked forward to look around more. She couldn't help but still feel a little at awe that she was in the presence of Captain America.

Fury went over to Dr. Banner to thank him for coming. He assured him that once they got the Tessaract, Banner would be able to go back to a semi-peaceful life. "Where are you with the location?" He asked. Fury motioned towards Coulson who was standing nearby, "We're sweeping every wireless accessible camera on the planet," he said on cue, "Cell phones, laptops..." As he continued to explain, Anne spotted Clint's profile on one of the agent's computers. She felt a pang of pain in her chest and bent down to look at it. "...It's eyes and ears for us." Coulson finished. "It's still not gonna find him in time." she stated, having heard every word. Anne could feel worry seeping into her conscious but she quickly pushed it aside. She needed to be at her best to find him and worry will only cause her to drag and become emotionally compromised. She couldn't risk being weak, not now. 

As she was thinking, she could hear Bruce talking science about faster ways to find the Tessaract. "You a place for me to work?" Fury nodded and looked over at Anne, "Agent Fisher", her cue. She nodded and started walking as she smiled at Dr. Banner. "Your gonna love it, doc. We got all the toys."

She started making small talk with Banner as she led him to the lab. She could sense how tense he was with all the guards, the agents, and being on a huge, flying military base. They got to the lab and Banner set his coat down on one of the chairs. "You're safe here, doctor." He looked up at her, unsure, "I know it's a little intimidating but it's surprisingly stress-free." She flashed him a friendly smile. He nodded, appreciating that she was being kind to him.

"I guess we'll see."


End file.
